Stepladder



April 14, 1931- R. F. scHuLzKE STEPLADDER Filed June 24. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l Rid-lar' d F Z; f/

ATTORNEYS.

April 14,' 1931- R. F. scHULzKE STEPLADDER Filed June 24, 1929 Ilmmm!lllllllllllllllllllllll 1 muni-f? Y @my 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /7 INVENTOR. Ri ard F. Eri-mbk@ wdmli ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. 14, 1931 RICHARD F. SGHULZKE,

PATENT OFFICE vor PORTLAND, OREGON STEPLADDER p Application filed June 24,

VThisinvention relates to improvements in step-ladders.

The primaryobject of this invention is the provision of a step-ladder of the type including a main ladder portion and a pivoted supporting frame, and having associated therewith an improved automatic spread and locking device which is of a fool-proof nature that will readily permit the main ladder body and pivoted supporting frame to spread apart, and automatically lock these parts in their spread relation in safety; the automatic spread and locking device being of a type which may be safely manually han- V dled to avoid pinching of fingers.

A further object of this invention is the provision of an improved bucket or article supporting shelf construction, cooperating in a novel relation with the locking device so V as to be accurately positioned in an extended braced relation upon the spread, of the parts of the latter to the degree Where the locking device locks them in such spread relation.

, 25 Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent'during the course of the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein simi f lar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views Figure 1 is a sectional view taken vertically through the step-ladder, with the parts thereof in extended position for use.

Figure 2 is a similarv sectional view with the parts folded in a compact relationship.

Figure 3 is a rear elevation, partly in section, of the ladder with the parts folded.

Figures 4 and 5 are sectional views taken substantially on their respective lines in Figure lof the drawings. A

In the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown only a preferred embodiment of this invention, the letter A may generally designate the improved step-ladder, which may comprise a main ladder body B having a pivoted supportingV frame C associated therewith; the parts and C having an automatic spread andlockng device D and a bucket or' article 1929. serial No. 373,276.

C is pivoted, as at 20.

The `pivoted supporting frame C preferably comprises legs 21 and 22, which at their Vupper ends are pivoted as above described, at 20, to the brackets 17. In the plane of the legs 21, and therebetween, at the lower portion of said frame, there are provided metal diagonal cross braces, of a construction best shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings. This cross brace construction preferably comprises substantially V-shaped metal vbrace bars 24 and 25, the apices of which are flattened oil", and adapted to lie in abutment, land be riveted together as shown at 26, along the longitudinal center line of the ladder. The divergent legs 28 ofl the V- shaped metal bars 24 and 25 are flanged at vthe ends 29 thereof, and riveted as at 30 to the inner sides of the legs 21 and 22 of the pivoted supportingl frame C, as shown in Figure 3. This arrangement of the metal reinforcementbetween the legs 21 and 22 is in effect a pair of diagonal braces. The lower-- most ends of said bracket pieces 24 and 25, where they are secured on the legs 21 and 22, cooperate with the upturned ends of a transverse brace 33 which extends substantially normal to the legs 21 and 22 for the purpose 'of bracing the latter; said upturned ends being secured at 29 also to the legs 21 and 22.

The bucket or article supporting shelf construction preferably comprises a shelf body 40 connected between supportingarms 41 and 42; the arms 41 and 42 being riveted in a rigidV relation at opposite side edges of tbe body 40, ends of the-bracket arms 41 and 42 extending rearwardly and being pivoted as at 43 intermediate their ends to the legs 21 and 22 respectively of the supporting frame C of the ladder. The rivets 43 are located between'the front vand rear edges of the legs` 21 and 22 of the pivoted supporting` frame', and the bracket arms 41 and 42 lie along the inner sides of said legs 21 and 22 respectively. The construction E furthermore includes connecting links 44 'and 45 pivoted yat 46, at the ends of the shelf supporting bracket arms 41 at the opposite sides of the pivots 43 from the shelf 40; said connecting links being pivoted as at 47 to the legs 10 and 11 of the main ladder body B, at the inner sides of said legs 10 and 11. r1`he yrelation of the bracket arms 41 and 42, the connecting links 44 and 45, and the pivot connections 43, 46 and 47 is such that when the ladder body B and the pivoted supporting frame C are spread the maximum extent, as permitted by the automatic spread and locking device D, the supporting shelf body portion 40 will lie horizontal, with the supporting brackets 41 and 42 horizontally positioned, and the connecting links to the legs of theladder body B, without undue strain on any of the parts of the article supporting construction 1C, and permitting the same to function without buckling or inefficient placement of parts.

rFhe parts of the construction E, due to their arrangement, assume the position shown vin Figure 1 when theladder body `BV and its supporting frame are spread to the maximum extent as permitted by the device D. The links 44 and 45 are provided with stop extensions 44EL for abutment with the ends of the bars 41 and 42, to limit the Aextended movement of thel device E.

Referring to the automatic spread and locking device D, the same comprises a baleshaped device 50, best lshown in Figure 4 of the drawings, including the legs 51 and 52, the ends of which are flattened and pivoted at 53 to bracket clips 54'and'55; the latter being secured at 57 tothe legs 10 and 11 re spectively of the ladder'body B, at the inside of said legs, asshown in Figures 1 and 4.

The clips 54 are of course rigidly positioned Y providing openings 62V and 631inffacing relation.l The extreme ends of the metal bars Vforming the legs 51 `and 52, as shown at 68 andv69, are inturned in axially faligni'ng relation, and rotatably-receive thereon a wooden handle 70 of substantially cylindrical formation.'

Guide bars and 66 are secured at their ends to the inner sides of the legs 21 and 22 of the pivoted supporting frame C; said guide barsbeing rigidly riveted at their ends and lying in spaced relation from their respective legs 21 and 22, and beingvthreaded thru the openings 62 and 63 respectively to guide the bale device 50 in its movement, at the free end, along the Vpivoted supporting frame, to

permit the collapsing of the parts B and C of the latter, in a manner which is obvious from the foregoing.YK

ln the operative positioning of the automatic spread and locking device D, withthe parts B and C extended as shown in Figure 1, the angle between the plane of the bale device 50, and the plane in which the guide bars 65 and 66 lie is 9()D or slightly less, and of course there is no liability ofthe free end of the bale device 50 from slipping upwardly along the guide bars 65 and 66, upon any attempted relative movement of the parts B and C of the ladder together. The bale` device 50 is supported in this position at its slidableend by the lower attached ends of the guides 65 and 66. 1n this position the article supporting construction E will lie in the arrangement shown in Figure 1. When it is Vdesired to collapse the parts Band C of the ladder, it is merely necessary for the Voperator to .grasp the handle 70 and move the saine upwardly slightly, to increase the angle between the plane of the guide y'bars and the bale device 50 to an angle of greater than 90, and merely by pushing tlie parts B and C together the ladder may be collapsed.

rllhe article supporting construction E collapses within the planeofthe ladder parts, with no projections, and this is also true of the automatic spread and locking device,` except for the'handle 70, which-projects in a relation which will permit an operator. to readily grasp the same and operate it.

vIt is to be noted that the automatic spread and'locking ,device D is not obstructed by other brace parts, and it is readily accessible from forwardly ofthe latter for operation.

Various'changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without vdeparting from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim: f 1. In a step-ladder construction the combination offa main ladder body, al supporting frame pivoted thereto, and an article supporting shelfconstruction comprising a shelf lhaving arm portions at the ends thereof pivoted between the ends upon'theV pivoted sup* yporting frame and extending towards the main ladder body when the ladder is operatively positioned, and connecting links pivoted upon the main `ladder body and to said ends of the arm portions, and in such relation that when the main ladder body and pivoted supporting frame are in an operative position the article supporting shelf arms Will lie inV substantiallya horizontal plane with the connecting links extending from their pivoted connection with said arms diagonally upward to their pivot connections upon the main ladder body, and means to hold the main ladder body and pivot-ed supporting frames in maximum operative spread position.

2. In a step-ladder construction a main ladder body comprising standards and steps connected therebetween, a pivoted support- Y ing frame comprising uprights pivoted at the l upper end ofthe main ladder body, means bracing and connecting the uprights of the pivoted supporting frame, and a spread and locking device for the ladder comprising a substantially U-shaped iframe including spaced legs and a cross piece, the spaced legs at the ends opposite the cross piece being pivoted to the standards of the main ladder body, the U-shaped frame at the juncture of the legs With the cross piece being provided with loop eyes, and guide bars on the facing sides of the uprights of the pivoted supporting frame each slidably receiving a loop eye of the U- shaped frame thereon to prevent transverse movement of the said U-shaped frame at its loop eye connections with the guide bars.

RICHARD F. SCHULZKE. 

